Shell Houston Open

It’s the moment of PGA Tour player’s dreams.

One stroke-lead. One hole to play.

When that hole is the 18th at the Redstone Club Tournament Course, that dream has a tinge of dread. Water runs along the left side of the hole, and a bunker waits on the right side of the fairway. It’s no wonder the 488-yard, par-4, played the most difficult of any hole at the Shell Houston Open.

Faced with those circumstances on Sunday, Hunter Mahan split the fairway with a 291-yard drive. Mahan, who is fourth on the tour in driving accuracy, followed with a 7-iron to the green that set up a par that was routine only in theory to preserve his fifth career victory on the PGA Tour.

“That’s the time you’ve got to pick your target and make a golf swing,” said Mahan, a Colleyville resident. “It’s not a time to kind of bail out or hope you hit it good. There’s moments in competitive golf where there it is in front of you. You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to be aggressive with your target and make an aggressive swing.”

With his second victory of the season, Mahan moved from 14th in the world to fourth. He said his mental game is stronger than ever. Why?

“I think I’m just tired of doing it the wrong way,” Mahan said. “I saw what I was doing before and it stunk. It wasn’t fun. We play so many holes, play so many tournaments. It just doesn’t make sense to beat yourself up because the game is hard enough.

“Great players, when you see them, their head is always up. They might get upset over a shot, but they don’t get down on themselves over a shot. It just never seems to bother them. You’ve got to be positive in this game. It’s too hard. Hitting a good shot might be hitting it to 30 feet.”

Mickelson confident heading to Augusta

Defending champion Phil Mickelson shot 7 under in the first 18 holes of the SHO, 5 under in the final 54. Mickelson said difficult pin positions had a lot to do with him settling for 71 Sunday in his final competitive round leading into this week’s Masters.

“I know when I was looking at the pin sheet it was going to be tough for the leaders to go really low,” said Mickelson, who finished in a tie for fourth. “I fought hard. I hit a lot of good putts. I hung in there and played steady. It wasn’t exceptional play.”

Mickelson said he likes where his game is for what he calls “my favorite week of the year.”

Els upbeat but doesn’t qualify for Masters

Though Ernie Els fell short in his quest to qualify for the Masters, he took some heart in his 12th-place finish at the SHO.

“I feel like I can play with these guys again,” said Els, who shot 70 in the final round. “I’ve still got to make those putts.”

Els, a three-time major champion, has played in the SHO four consecutive years.

“This course is great,” said Els, who last failed to qualify for the Masters in 1993. “This is the best-conditioned course we’ve played all year. It’s just a real fun golf course to play. I’ll keep coming back here.”

Shell Houston Open

The flagsticks were hidden like buried treasures. The winds were stopping and starting and swirling, making it impossible for any golfer of sound mind to feel even close to comfortable.

To win the Shell Houston Open, somebody was going to have to plot and plod his way around the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course.

Hunter Mahan, being of sounder mind than at any point in his professional golfing life, emerged as that somebody on Sunday to pull out the fifth PGA Tour victory of his career. Mahan managed the course and himself in the final round, grinding out a 1-under-par 71 to rally from a two-stroke deficit.

A 16-under-par 272 left Mahan one stroke ahead of Carl Petterson (71) and two better than 54-hole leader Louis Oosthuizen (75). On a day when only five players broke 70 and nobody went lower than 68, two birdies were enough for Mahan to earn a $1.08 million winner’s check. It was a considerable change in modus operandi for Mahan, whose previous three stroke-play victories had been the product of free-wheeling, final-round comebacks in which he shot 64, 65 and 65.

“I had to have a lot of patience,” Mahan said. “I felt like I won it with my mental side of my game than maybe the physical side. That feels nice.”

Mahan, 29, jumped from 14th to fourth in the world rankings after he became the tour’s first two-time winner of 2012. He is the top-ranked American for the first time of his career, and his four tour victories since the start of 2010 ranks second only to Steve Stricker.

“I’d be lying to you if I said it doesn’t feel awesome to be ranked No. 4 in the world,” said Mahan, who defeated Stricker and three major champions (Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson and Y.E. Yang) in winning the World Golf Championships Match Play title earlier this season. “It’s a pretty surreal thing to think about.”

On this date five years ago, Mahan had just made the leap from 233rd to 198th in the rankings. At this time three years ago, Mahan had one victory and a No. 53 ranking to his name. His final-round playing partner, Oosthuizen, made two double-bogeys in the first eight holes. Mahan stayed steady with eight pars, lurking rather than leaping wildly.

“My mind is getting stronger,” said Mahan, a Colleyville resident. “I felt like I didn’t let a bad shot bother me. Just go to the next one, try to hit that one better. It’s easy to talk yourself into doing crazy things in this game because you’re playing so many holes. It’s easy to get your mind to run wild and get down on yourself.

“That’s what I used to do. I’m trying to pump myself up more and just believe in myself.”

Mahan broke through for his first birdie of the final round at the 238-yard, par-3 No. 9, lasering a 3-iron to 5 feet. Moments later, just one group ahead, Pettersson left his approach into the par-4 No. 10 in a greenside bunker to drop to 15-under. Mahan added to his lead at No. 10, wedging an approach to 5 feet to set up a birdie. He gave one stroke back with a bogey at No. 14 and was in danger of giving another back airmailing a 7-iron over the green of the par-3 No. 16.

“Holy cow, I didn’t think a 7-iron would go that far,” Mahan said.

That left Mahan with a little pitch that on a scale of 1-10, he gave a 7 in degree of difficulty. His handiwork, a little flip shot that stopped 15 inches from the hole, “felt like a 10 to me.”

Pettersson, for his part, made two birdies in the first four holes and none the rest of the day. He didn’t lack for chances. At No. 16, he stuck his tee shot to 11 feet but misread his putt slightly. At No. 18, with a chance to tie, his putt died short of the hole.

“I’m still (ticked) off that I left it short,” said Pettersson, who has finished second twice this season.

Even after that, a victory was anything but a given for Mahan. The 488-yard finishing hole is flanked by water along the left side, and it played the most difficult of any on the course (4.337 average). Mahan, who is ranked fourth on the tour in driving accuracy, split the fairway with his tee shot. He reached his 62nd green in regulation – most in the field – with a true 7-iron and two-putted for victory that was truly distinct to him.

“I feel very capable of playing great golf, and I feel like I showed myself I don’t have to be perfect to win,” Mahan said. “I felt like this week my mind was probably the strongest part of my game. That’s what I’m going to take from this week: My mind was so strong. I was able to persevere through having the lead and doing something I haven’t done before.”

Shell Houston Open

Louis Oosthuizen kept losing ground, but not his mind. Unable to get anything going early in the third round of the Shell Houston Open, Oosthuizen warded off dark thoughts with soothing swing thoughts.

By day’s end, Oosthuizen was musing about breathtaking scenery and sunsets.

There were no sightings of rainbows or unicorns at the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course, but Oosthuizen did turn a bogey-bogey start Saturday into a magical ride to the top of the leader board. With eight birdies in the final 13 holes, Oosthuizen posted a 6-under-par 66 that left him two strokes ahead of field heading into the final round.

“It was such a beautiful back nine with the weather and the sun dropping – such a nice place out there,” Oosthuizen said. “When we turned on 15, I was playing down the sun and the golf course looked spectacular.”

At 17-under-par 199, Oosthuizen has a vantage point that is two strokes better than that of Hunter Mahan (65-201) and three better than Carl Pettersson (67-202) and Brian Davis (69-202) and five better than James Driscoll (71-204). The only others within six of the lead are defending SHO champion Phil Mickelson (70-205), reigning PGA winner Keegan Bradley (69-205) and Texas A&M alum Ryan Palmer (66-205). Second-round leader Jeff Maggert of The Woodlands had six bogeys on the way to 76 that dropped him into a tie for 14th (208).

Oosthuizen, 29, established himself as a major player when he captured the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews by seven strokes. He has won two African Opens but nothing else since then, with his world record having dropped from 15th to 38th since St. Andrews.

“It’s a good opportunity to go out there and have fun,” Oosthuizen said. “It’s great and it will be tough, but I feel like I’m ready for it.”

Mahan, 29, showed he is ready to take on all comers earlier this season when he took down three champions (Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Y.E. Yang) plus two players who have been ranked among the top 10 in the world (Steve Stricker, Matt Kuchar) to win the World Golf Championship Match Play title. Mahan, the world’s No. 14 player, made four putts from outside 20 feet in the third round.

“I felt like Match Play was the most complete my game has ever been,” Mahan said. “It hasn’t been as complete this week, but it’s not as far away. I feel good about what I’m doing and how I’m playing. I feel like I can get up and down if I miss a shot. I just feel pretty comfortable on the golf course where nothing is going to bother me too much.”

Mahan was coming off back-to-back birdies when he made a 23-foot par save at No. 5. He rolled in a 34-footer for birdie at No. 6, a 15-footer at No. 7, a 28-footer at No. 18 and a 29-footer at No. 14. After his only bogey of the tournament at the par-3 No. 3, Mahan responded with back-to-back birdies.

“You’re just so in the moment,” said Mahan, who is fourth in the field in greens in regulation (46-of-54). “You’re not worried about the score. I didn’t know how many under par I was until 15 or 16 because I was just in the round. I was just trying to hit the next shot as good as I could and stay in the moment as best I can.

“It’s difficult out there, because our minds always want to shoot forward and go to 18 and see what kind of round you can get in and look at the leader board and figure all these numbers in your head.”

Mickelson, whose 40 PGA Tour victories include four major championships, began the round three strokes off the lead. He turned a look at an eagle from 22 feet at No. 4 into a three-putt par and couldn’t generate any momentum.

“I’m pleased with how I played, but I’m disappointed in the score,” said Mickelson, who shot 63-65 the final two rounds to win last year. “I feel like I’m playing well to where I can get a hot round out there. I feel like there’s a 65, 64, 63 out there.”

Oosthuizen was 2 over for his round until he made a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 6. The rest of the round was a mix of hitting approach shots stiff and dialing in with his putter. His final three birdies came on putts of 21, 12 and 15 feet, and he mixed in a sand save at No. 18 after he’d hit the previous 15 greens in regulation.

He even caught himself reveling in scenery and sunsets. Sort of.

“Not really,” Oosthuizen said. “I was too focused on trying to make the best score.”

Shell Houston Open

Two players from distant outposts around the world slept on the second-day lead at the Shell Houston Open. A local golfing fixture got up early Saturday and overtook them to become the official second-round leader.

The Woodlands resident Jeff Maggert made an early wakeup call count for something, making three birdies in the final eight holes of his second round Saturday morning to polish off his second consecutive 66 and seize the lead.

A Texas A&M alum with three career PGA Tour victories, Maggert enters the final two rounds at 12-under-par 132 and one stroke ahead of Brian Davis (68-65) of England and Louis Oosthuizen (67-66) of South Africa. James Driscoll, winless in 171 career start and ranked 385th in the world, completed his second round Saturday morning with two birdies in his final three holes to create a three-way tie at 11 under (67-66).

Maggert, 48, is a three-time SHO runner-up who arrived at the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course with five consecutive missed cuts that dropped his world ranking to 390. The oldest champion in SHO history is Gene Little, who was 46 years, 9 months and 1 day when he won by three strokes over Lanny Wadkins in 1977.

“It’s a strange game,” Maggert said.

He suffered a shoulder injury in 2010 helping his mother-law move, underwent shoulder surgery last June and is looking for his first victory since the 2006 Fed Ex St. Jude Classic. Coming off 12 consecutive rounds of failing to break 70, Maggert hit 12 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in both rounds at Redstone.

“The ball strikes have been the key,” said Maggert, who is third in the field in greens in regulation and sixth in fairways hit. “A lot of shots have been close to the hole where I’m not having to make 15- and 20-footers for birdies. The greens are really rolling nice this week, and I’ve got pretty good confidence right now after making quite a few putts the last few days.”

One of 70 players who had to be in position to resume play at 7:30 a.m., Maggert birdied his next-to-last hole, the par-5 No. 8, to get to 13-under. He gave that stroke back with a three-putt bogey at the par-3 No. 9, leaving him three strokes ahead of defending SHO champion and four-time major champion Phil Mickelson (65-70), two-time major winner Angel Cabrera (65-70), 2009 SHO runner-up J.B. Holmes (68-67), Carl Pettersson (65-70), Greg Owen (66-69) and Tommy Gainey (68-67) are 9 under through 36 holes.

All three of Maggert’s runner-up finishes at the SHO came at The Woodlands Country Club Tournament Course (1994, 1996, 1998). Since the SHO moved to the Redstone Tournament Course in 2006, Maggert has one sixth-place finish (2010) squeezed in among four missed cuts.

“This doesn’t really have a home-course feel to me,” Maggert said. “It’s more like a normal tour event. This golf course is a lot different than what we used to play up in The Woodlands, but a couple years ago I had a pretty good week here.”

Among the 26 players within five strokes of the lead are reigning PGA champion Keegan Bradley (67-69), No. 14 Hunter Mahan (69-67), No. 29 John Senden (72-65) and Texan Chad Campbell (69-67). Three-time major champion Ernie Els, who needs a victory this week to avoid failing to qualify for the Masters for the first time since 1993, is 5-under (70-69).

The final threesome of Maggert, Oosthuizen and Davis is set to tee off at 1:51 p.m. Saturday. Oosthuizen, 29, is a 2010 British Open champion whose ranking has dropped from 15th to 38th since then. Davis, 37, is winless in 229 starts on tour and ranked 119th.

“I’ve got a couple little swing thoughts I’m working on,” Maggert said. “I’ll just keep those in my head and try to hit the ball solid. I know I’m hitting the ball lose to the hole. I’ll be able to make some birdies.”

Shell Houston Open

Louis Oosthuizen considers himself a golfer of the world.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion from South Africa, has been trying to divide his energies between the European and PGA tours.

“I struggled last year schedule-wise because it was the first time trying it and it’s a lot of flying,” said Oosthuizen, who shares the Shell Houston Open lead with Brian Davis (at 11-under 133) among players who have completed the second round. “I think I got the schedule down this year, and we’ll be doing both again.

“December is when most guys rest. We try to play a few events in South Africa, and then the first week in January we play in the Africa Open (an event Oosthuizen has won the past two years). So it makes your schedule rough.”

Long-hitting Holmes relies on short game

J.B. Holmes fits the profile of the kind of player who would figure to flourish at the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course — hit the ball hard, ask for directions later. Holmes, who lost a playoff to Paul Casey in the 2009 SHO, is making his fourth appearance in the event.

“I like coming out here,” Holmes said. “It’s always in great shape. It’s different than the courses we play. The greens are always good, and there’s not as much rough out here. It’s the tuneup for the Masters, as they say. It’s fun to get out here and play and make some birdies.”

Holmes has made 11 birdies and two bogeys the first two rounds and left the grounds two strokes off the lead. He averaged 306.0 yards off the tee, compared to the field average of 283.3, in the first two rounds and has gotten up and down 10 of 12 times he’s missed the green in regulation.

“I hit a lot of good shots, and when I hit a bad shot, my short game saved me,” Holmes said. “I did everything pretty good today.”

Couples cools off after hot start

Former Masters and SHO champion Fred Couples finished his first round Friday with a flourish, making three birdies in the final four holes for a 67. Couples, coming off a Champions Tour victory last Sunday at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Resort Classic, exchanged fist bumps with playing partner Phil Mickelson after their last putts on the 18th hole.

“It’s kind of an exciting time before Augusta,” said Couples, who hit 15 of 18 greens. “I seem to try to get the juices up.”

Still, Couples couldn’t help but free a bit about having the prospect of But playing 33 holes by day’s end because of thunderstorms Thursday that suspended play Friday took a toll as he had a 1-over 73 in the second round.

“Last week in Mississippi, I one-handed half of them,” said Couples, who has chronic back problems. “Out here, you really can’t do that. You’ve got to drive it in play, and it’s a long course. I’ll struggle my way around.”

Shell Houston Open

The surprise, the way Phil Mickelson sees it, isn’t how low he can go at the Shell Houston Open.

It’s that he doesn’t go lower, lower, lower.

The Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course is just the kind of place that can offer rich rewards to a player who can pull off a pedal-to-the-metal style of play. Mickelson went on the attack yet again on Friday, putting together rounds of 65-70 that have him in prime position for a successful defense of his 2011 SHO title.

At 9 under par through 36 holes, Mickelson is two strokes behind Brian Davis of England (68-65) and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa (67-66). Though Mickelson couldn’t keep up the birdie barrage he started in the morning, he is 25 under par in his past four rounds at the 7,457-yard Redstone layout.

“I’ve felt good with the putter all year, and you get greens like this where they’re so true, and you feel like you should make everything,” Mickelson said. “It’s frustrating when you miss one, because they’re just perfect greens.”

A 22-putt first round kept such frustrations to a minimum for Mickelson, whose 40 career victories include three Masters and a PGA Championship. His putt total soared to 32 in the second round, when he couldn’t capitalize on the lift, clean and replace rules that were in effect because of the 1.25 inches of rain on Thursday that delayed play. A three-putt bogey on his 33rd and final hole of the day, the par-3 No. 9, left Mickelson in a tie for third with Greg Owen (66-69) and “Big Break” alum Tommy Gainey (68-67) and 2009 runner-up J.B. Holmes (68-67).

“I played really well,” said Mickelson, who hit his final 11 greens in regulation. “I didn’t quite take advantage of the opportunities that I did in the morning round. I feel really good about where my game is. I’ll be able to shoot a little bit lower score than I did (Friday) afternoon.”

The thunderstorms that stopped play on Thursday caused a backlog that prevented 70 players from completing the second round. Play halted at 7:36 p.m. with the likes of The Woodlands resident Jeff Maggert (10 under through 28 holes), James Driscoll (9 under through 25 holes), and first-round co-leaders Angel Cabrera (8 under through 25 holes) and Carl Pettersson (7 under through 26 holes) set to resume play at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

Oosthuizen, for his part, played 33 holes on Friday and shaved nine strokes off of par in the process.

“If you play well, to keep the momentum going is great,” Oosthuizen said. “Just grab lunch and go on. I would love to tee off my third round now.”

Oosthuizen, 29, showed the world what he can do when he gets up a head of steam at the 2010 British Open, finishing seven strokes ahead of the field at St. Andrews. He climbed to 15th in the world that year, but he has tinkered with his equipment and his swing and slipped to 38th.

“You’re always trying to get better,” said Oosthuizen, who is back to Rapture V2 driver he used in 2010. “I hit it well at the Open in 2010, and I feel like I’m very close to hitting it like I did there. Swing-wise, I feel very confident.”

Davis, 37, insists he’s been feeling more confident that one might expect of somebody who didn’t crack the top 25 this season until a fourth-place finish last weekend at Bay Hill. Ranked 119th in the world, Davis is winless in 229 starts on the PGA tour.

Change has been the operative word lately for Davis, whose father died of cancer last year. Davis has changed caddies, psychologists and his thought process on and off the course and his approach to budgeting his time with wife and three children and his career.

“Probably caught a mid-life crisis early,” Davis said.

Holmes, 29, had his own crisis of sorts last September when he underwent brain surgery to relieve symptoms of Chiari malformations, which caused severe dizziness. Holmes is making his eighth start since the removal of a piece of his skull to relieve pressure on his cerebellum. He is not one of the 31 players in the field who already have a spot in next week’s Masters, so a SHO victory would have meaning beyond the $1.08 million winner’s check.

“You’re trying to win a golf tournament,” said Holmes, the 2009 SHO runner-up and a two-time winner on tour. “If you told me I could win and not go to the Masters, I’d be happy with that.”

Don’t put it past Mickelson, 41, to make a run at the SHO and the Masters. In 2006, Mickelson won in Atlanta and at the Masters in back-to-back weeks.

Shell Houston Open

Phil Mickelson truly picked up where he left off 362 days earlier at the Shell Houston Open.

Mickelson free-wheeled his way around the first round Friday with a 7-under-par 65 – the exact score he posted in the final round to win the event last April at the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course.

A bogey-free round by Mickelson, who completed only three holes on Thursday before play stopped because of thunderstorms, got him off the course tied with Carl Pettersson and two-time major champion Angel Cabrera.

Mickelson was part of marquee threesome with past Masters champions Fred Couples and Charl Schwartzel that shot a combined 15-under on the 7,457-yard Redstone layout. Couples, who won the Masters in 1992 and the SHO in 2003, birdied three of his final five four holes to post a 67 that left him in a tie for eighth. Schwartzel, the defending Masters champion, rolled in a 12-footer for birdie at the 488-yard finishing hole to shoot 69.

For Michelson and Couples, it was a let-the-good-times-roll round that ended with an exchange of fist bumps on the 18th green after their last putts had dropped. Mickelson whizzed through his round in only 22 putts, fewest in the field.

“We had phenomenal conditions to come out and play,” said Mickelson, whose 40 PGA Tour victories include four major champions. “I’ve felt good with the putter all year, and you get greens like this where they’re so true, and you feel like you should make everything. It’s frustrating when you miss one, because they’re just perfect greens.”

Mickelson’s round was a procession of shots for the highlight reel – birdie putts of 22 feet at No. 1 and 23 feet at No. 15 and a hole out from off the green at the par-3 No. 16, for starters. He stuffed his tee shot to the par-3 No. 9 to two feet, stuck an approach to the par-4 No. 6 to five feet and got up and down from the sand three out of three times.

“It was a fun round, and the course is just in immaculate shape,” Mickelson said. “The golf course was soft, so you could get at a lot of the pins. A lot of the tucked pins you could still get at, so we played very aggressively and made some good birdies.”

Even his biggest misadventure of the round turned into a highlight of sorts. From the middle of the fairway of the par-5 No. 13, Mickelson sprayed a mud ball left into a hazard and had to sink a 10-foot putt to save par.

“There’s not much you can do about stuff like that,” Mickelson said. “Every shot in the fairway had a bunch of mud and it was tough maneuvering around that, but there was no wind. The conditions were ideal. The greens were immaculate. If you got it on the surface, you thought you could make some putts.”

Couples, 52, is coming off a Champions Tour victory this past Sunday at Mississippi Gulf Coast Resort Classic. He got hot with his putter late, making a 9-footer for birdie at No. 15, a 14-foor for birdie at No. 16, a 13-footer to record a sand-save par at No. 17 and a 14-footer for birdie at No. 18.

“It’s kind of an exciting time before Augusta,” said Couples, who hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation. “I seem to try to get the juices up.”

Still, Couples couldn’t help but free a bit about having the prospect of playing 33 holes by day’s end. Because of Thursday’s weather delay, Couples and his playing partners had barely an hour after the end of the first round before they teed off for the second round. He found his chronic back problems flaring up a bit when his Champions event had lengthy weather delays.

“Last week in Mississippi, I one-handed half of them,” Couples said. “Out here, you really can’t do that. You’ve got to drive it in play, and it’s a long course. We’ll see what happens. I’ll struggle my way around.”

Mickelson, on the other hand, relished the prospect of getting a chance to freewheel it around Redstone as soon as possible.

“I like being able to come out and play a lot of holes in one day,” Mickelson said. “If you start playing well and get in a good rhythm, you can get in a lot of rhythm. Especially out here. So I think it might be of benefit to be able to play 33 holes because I feel like I’ve been playing well, and now I can get a good rhythm going.”

steve.campbell@chron.com

Twitter.com/CampbellChron

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/03/defending-sho-champ-mickelson-picks-up-where-he-left-off/feed/0Cabrera, Pettersson tied for lead as play is suspended at SHOhttp://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/03/cabrera-pettersson-tied-for-lead-as-play-is-suspended-at-sho/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/03/cabrera-pettersson-tied-for-lead-as-play-is-suspended-at-sho/#commentsThu, 29 Mar 2012 19:21:04 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=4763

Shell Houston Open

BY STEVE CAMPBELL

The conditions at the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course went from pristine to fit for a duck.

The Duck just happens to be nickname of Angel Cabrera, who had the good timing or good sense to get off the course before rain caused havoc at the first round of the Shell Houston Open.

Cabrera, a two-time major champion from Argentina who has adopted Houston as a home away from home, shot a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday to share the early lead with Carl Pettersson.

Early morning tee times allowed Cabrera and Pettersson to get off the course before thunderstorms stopped play at 1:27 p.m. A total of 1.25 inches of rain resulted in standing water in some of the fairways and soggy bunkers, prompting the PGA Tour to announce postponement of play.

Play is scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. Friday with 51 players in a field of 144 having completed the first round. Cabrera and Pettersson are one stroke ahead of Ricky Barnes and The Woodlands resident Jeff Maggert. For Cabrera, it was a welcome reversal of the form that dropped him from 31st in the world after the 2010 SHO to 176th entering this week.

“It’s just a great day,” Cabrera said. “I did everything well. I’m very happy.”

Cabrera polished off a bogey-free round – and matched the lowest single-round score in 161 starts on tour – by rolling in a 22-footer for birdie at the par-4 No. 18. That putt made for a perfect bookend to the 27-footer Cabrera made for a birdie on the first hole. Cabrera, 42, has 41 victories around the world, but none has come since the 2009 Masters.

Did anybody mention the Masters? The first major of the season is next week, and one last spot is reserved for the SHO winner.

“I’m just trying to get to playing good,” Cabrera said. “I’m working hard. I really want to play well this week. I want to go into next week with confidence. But this week, I’m focused on here.”

No bogeys for Cabrera

Cabrera cruised through the 7,457-yard Redstone layout without a bogey, hitting eight of nine fairways on each side. He has bought a home in Houston and spends six weeks a year in town working with short-game instructor Charlie Epps.

“It’s a big thrill to have him with me,” said Epps, who began working with Cabrera shortly before a 2007 U.S. Open victory at Oakmont. “He’s now a Texan for six, seven weeks a year. It’s a special time.”

Pettersson, 34, could come to see Redstone as a special place with more rounds like Thursday’s. A four-time winner on tour, he opened his season by finishing second to 2008 SHO champion Johnson Wagner at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Pettersson hasn’t cracked the top 30 since, missing the cut the past two weeks.

“I told myself this morning just to play aggressive and shoot at the pins and see what happens,” Pettersson said.

He hit 16 of 18 greens. Although he didn’t make any bombs, he did make six of eight putts from 10 to 15 feet. The key, he said, was opening his stance so his left hip could fire through the shot.

“It was easy as that,” Pettersson said.

Maggert, 48, is at the stage in his career when things don’t often come easy. Ranked 390th in the world and less than a year removed from shoulder surgery, Maggert came in having missed five consecutive cuts. He hit 16 of 18 greens on Thursday, making an unlikely late surge with birdies at the 204-yard par-3 No. 16 and the 488-yard par-4 No. 18. At 16, he putted in from behind the green. At 18, he knocked in a 20-footer. What got into him?

“After playing this game so many years, I realize that’s still a mystery,” Maggert said. “I have no idea.”

Speaking of mysteries, Barnes has no idea what caused the food poisoning that came over him Tuesday. All he knows is that he had his wife pick him up from the course at 4 p.m. that day, and he was in intestinal distress by 5:30. Barnes showed up for about 45 minutes of putting Wednesday and then pieced together a round Thursday that included five birdies in a seven-hole stretch (Nos. 7-13).

“It was a good turnaround, kind of refreshed me, and I guess put it in perspective,” Barnes said.

Barnes in position

Barnes, 31, is looking for his first tour victory, but he’s been to the Masters three times. To make it to Augusta National next week, he would need that first win to come Sunday.

“You’re kind of swinging free,” Barnes said. “Not until Sunday would it ever cross your mind. Normal weeks, it’s probably good if you finish in the top five. But if you came close enough to sniff it and you finished second, I would say this is probably the one that would burn the most early in the season.”

Crazy may be in the eye of the beholder, but Wardian is no stranger to feats testing the limits of human endurance. Not to mention, the limits of human feet.

Wardian, 37, truly puts the ultra in ultramarathoner, having won the past four USA Track and Field 50 K championships while holding down a day job as an international ship broker. He was the runner-up in the 2011 100K World Championship and also has the claim to fame of owning a Guinness world record for fastest performance run in a super-hero garb (2:34:56 wearing a Spider-Man costume at the Lower Potomac Marathon in Piney Point, MD).

“I just like to show people you can do more than you think you can do,” Wardian said. “That’s a pretty neat thing. I have all the responsibilities that everyone who’s not a professional runner has. I have to go to work in the morning. I have a family. And I can still come out on the weekend and make a good effort and run a marathon.”

By Wardian’s count, he has run marathons in back-to-back days “four or five” times. His previous back-to-back came this past fall at the Hartford Marathon (third, 2:22:17) and the Mount Desert Island (first, 2:32:36). Wardian was up against more formidable competition in Houston, with Saturday’s U.S. Olympic trials as the prelude to a Sunday’s race featuring a strong international field. With a 2:21:50 on Saturday, Wardian finished 62nd.

“I came here to see what could happen,” said Wardian, who qualified for the trials with a personal-best 2:17:49 at the Grandma’s Marathon last June in Duluth, MN. “I ran a between a 5:08 and 5:09 pace for as long as I could. I lost my salts at about 10 miles. I started to cramp a little toward the end. I rode the pain train in, but it was pretty inspirational. To be able to hold my pace for a good long time, I’m pretty confident I can keep improving.”

When Wardian got up on Sunday morning, he was “really scared” he wouldn’t be able to run. He had pain in his left heel that kept him from putting weight on the foot, and during warm-ups he considered pulling out of the race and spending the day with his wife Jennifer and sons Pierce, 5, and Grant, 3.

“After I started running, the foot didn’t hurt me too bad,” said Wardian, who lives in Arlington, VA. “I didn’t have a lot of pressure on me. The crowd support was pretty incredible. The city of Houston really came out in force. There was some amazing neighborhood support – people out there blaring music. The Houston Marathon committee, they really had people out in force. It’s so well-organized and done. It’s pretty impressive.”

Wardian has seen and experienced enough to not be easily impressed. A lacrosse player at Michigan State, he quit as a junior. Looking for an outlet for his energy, he took up running. He ran his first marathon in 1996, performing well enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon. He has kept pushing, pushing, pushing, to the point running marathons in consecutive days is by no means the toughest thing he has done.

Last July, for instance, Wardian finished third in the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley. Wardian braved average temperatures of more than 120 degrees to turn cover the distance in 26 hours, 22 minutes and 1 second.

“I didn’t stop much,” Wardian said. “I stopped with four miles to go. I was like, `Maybe I don’t want to finish.’ It’s so hard. I’d been throwing up like 12 miles. The last 13 miles is like straight up a mountain.”

So why do it?

“Because you can,” Wardian said.

Three weeks after that torture test, Wardian overcame the stomach flu to win the San Francisco Marathon by more than seven minutes. Speaking of torture, Wardian also has a third-place finish in the Marathon Des Sables to his name. Staged across the Sahara Desert in Morocco, the race runs six days and covers 151 miles. Runners must carry their provisions for the race in a backpack, starting out with a 7 kilos of provisions.

“Each day, you’re burning so many more calories than you’re consuming,” Wardian said. “It’s who can suffer the most, basically.”

]]>http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/01/ultramarathoner-wardian-has-crazy-weekend/feed/0How is national signing day unfolding for UH? Here’s the complete class.http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2011/02/how-is-national-signing-day-unfolding-for-uh-heres-the-complete-class/
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2011/02/how-is-national-signing-day-unfolding-for-uh-heres-the-complete-class/#commentsWed, 02 Feb 2011 15:06:23 +0000http://blog.chron.com/cougars/2011/02/how-is-national-signing-day-unfolding-for-uh-heres-the-complete-class/College football recruits could begin signing their national letters of intent at 7 a.m. Central time on Wednesday.

The first NLI to arrive in the University of Houston offices arrived seven minutes later from Joey Mbu, a defensive lineman from Richmond. UH officials report that the 20th &mash; and final — NLI of the day rolled in from West Orange-Stark receiver Mark Roberts at 10:38 a.m. Combined with January enrollees Chevy Bennett and D. J. Hayden, a pair of defensive backs from Navarro College, UH coach Kevin Sumlin has a 2011 recruiting class of 22.

The breakdown, counting the January JUCO arrivals: 12 players on defense, eight on offense, two athletes. UH took one big hit when it lost Navarro College offensive lineman Daniel Campbell, who had signed in December during the NCAA Mid-Year Junior College period. Campbell, a 345-pound tackle who originally signed with USC coming out of Aldine High, ended up casting his lot with Lamar.

Rivals.com ranked UH recruiting class ranked sixth in Conference USA behind SMU, UCF, Marshall, Memphis and East Carolina. Scout.com ranks the UH class sixth in C-USA and 72nd nationally. What does that mean? The Cougars have the second-best C-USA record (44-30, .592) since 2002; they’ve ranked higher than third in the Rivals recruiting rankings once in the past nine classes.

Here is the UH class, which includes under-the-radar, 11th-hour addition DeVonte Potier of Wheatley High:

Kourtlandt Akins, OL, 6-5, 290, Lamar High — Member of the Houston Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston first team. Mad the All-District 20-5A first team, helping the Tom Nolen-coached Lamar Redskins to a 9-2 record. Chose UH over Michigan, which is located in his home state. Rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com, made the PrepStar All-Region team. Though listed as an offensive lineman, wants to play defense at UH.

Lloyd Allen, LB, 6-4, 240, Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College — Comes to UH one year behind fellow Gulf Coast alum Sammy Brown, who tied for fourth nationally in tackles for losses (20, or 1.67 per game. Rated by Rivals as a three-star recruit, had 37 tackles (10 for losses, including seven sacks) to help Gulf Coast go 10-2 and win the Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges championship. Changed commitment in December from UH to Mississippi State, which reportedly pulled offer when he didn’t enroll in January. Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, also had reported offers from Memphis, UAB, Kentucky and Troy.

Chevy Bennett, DB, 6-1, 190, Navarro College — Signed during national junior college period in December, is enrolled in UH and can participate in spring practice. Helped Navarro win the 2010 NJCAA National Championship, ranking fifth on the team in tackles in 2010 (48, including 44 solos). Also had one interception in nine games playing on defense that allowed 226 yards per game (12th nationally). Had 18 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman in 2009 … Chose Houston over Kansas State, Baylor and New Mexico.

Alex Cooper, DL, 6-5, 245, Second Baptist — Low-risk, potential high-reward player who committed in final days of recruiting process. Born in the Bahamas, played only two years of high school football under Mike Sneed. An All-District 4-4A selection in basketball, played for Houston Hoops traveling team. Rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.

Everett Daniels, LB, 6-0, 210, Trinity Valley Community College — Made the All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference second team, leading team with 103 tackles. Also had three sacks, five passes broken up and a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. Played eight games in 2009, recording 50 tackles and three sacks under coach Brad Smiley. Started in high school at Sachse High in the Dallas area. Rated three-star prospect by Rivals, a two-star by Scout. Expected to supplement Marcus McGraw and Efrem Oliphant at inside linebacker.

Keithen English, DT, 6-2/315, Dallas A Maceo Smith — Made All-District 13-3A first team as a senior, recording 35 tackles and four sacks. Ranked No. 65 in the Dallas Morning News area top 100 and selected to TheOldCoach.com 3A-All Area second team. Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, also competed in track and field, wrestling and swimming. De-committed from Memphis, which recruited him as an offensive lineman, in January. Played offensive line most of his high school career but recruited by UH to play defense. Also had reported offers Oklahoma State, Kansas, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, New Mexico and New Mexico State.

Kenneth Farrow, ATH, 5-11, 195, Hurst L.D. Bell — Rushed for 1,384 yards as a sophomore and 1,048 as a senior. Playing for Gary Olivo, made All-District 6-5A first team as a senior. Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, made the PrepStar All-Region team. Had reported offers from Utah and Tulsa. Expected to play defensive back at UH.

Earl Foster, DB, 5-11, 187, Lamar High — Selected to Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston second team as a senior, racking up 103 tackles and six interceptions under coach Tom Nolen. Made the All-District first team and was the 20-5A Defensive Player of the Year. Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, chose UH over Oregon State. Has 3.17 grade-point average. Also recruited by the likes of Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M and Arizona.

D.J. Hayden, DB, 5-11, 180, Navarro College — Signed during national junior college period in December, is enrolled in UH and can participate in spring practice. Fort Bend Elkins alum was yet another key contributor on Navarro’s national championship team, playing in all 11 games for a defense that allowed 226 yards per game (115 in the air). Intercepted three passes, returning one for a touchdown. Selected UH over TCU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss.

Zach Johnson, OL, 6-7, 300, Norman, Okla. — Selected to the Class 6A All-State team, chosen to play in the Oklahoma vs. Texas Oil Bowl. Also made all-district and all-conference as a senior, helping teammate Donovan Roberts rush for more than 2,000 yards. Rated a two-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, chose UH over Missouri, Indiana, Tulsa and North Texas.

Bram Kohlhausen, QB, 6-1, 193, Lamar High — Ranked as the nation’s No. 30 pro-style quarterback by Rivals and No. 43 quarterback by Scout. Made the Chronicle’s Texas Top 100 list. Led Lamar to 9-2 record as a senior, completing 67 of 142 passes (47 percent) for 1,119 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. Made All-District 20-5A first team, selected All-Southwest by Super Prep and All-Region by PrepStar. Joined Lamar teammates Earl Foster and Kourtlandt Akins as the first players to commit to UH’s 2011 recruiting class. Rivals and Scout both give him three-star rankings.

Derrick Mathews, LB, 6-0, 190, North Shore — Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston Defensive Player of the Year. Ranked as the nation’s No. 74 outside linebacker by Rivals and a member of the Chronicle’s Texas 100. All-State second team selection of the Associated Press, finalist for the Touchdown Club of Houston Defensive Player of the Year award. All-District first team and the 21-5A co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, recording 155 tackles and seven sacks. Made All-District first team as sophomore and second team as a junior. Playing under David Aymand, helped North Shore win 28 games in three varsity seasons. Lettered twice in basketball and has 3.41 GPA. Rated a three-star prospect by Scout and Rivals, also recruited by Texas Tech.

Joey Mbu, DT, 6-3, 308, Foster High — All-District 23-4A first team selection as senior. Had 67 tackles and two sacks under coach Mark Wiatrek, helping Foster reach the playoffs. Given three stars by Rivals, two stars by Scout. Chose UH over Air Force.

C.J. McElroy, WR, 5-11, 195, Clear Creek — Member of the Chronicle’s Texas 100 and a 2010 All-Greater Houston second-team. Finalist for the Touchdown Club of Houston Offensive Player of the Year. AP Class 5A All-State honorable mention and District 24-5A Offensive Player of the Year. Rushed for 1,523 yards and 25 touchdowns, caught 21 passes for 339 yards and even threw a 74-yard TD pass as a senior. In the past three seasons, caught 94 passes for 1,394 yards and 13 touchdowns. All-District first team selection as a junior under coach Darrell Warden. Has 3.35 GPA. Rated by Rivals and Scout as a three-star prospect, reportedly received offers from Boise State, Utah, Arizona, Kentucky and Wyoming. Standout baseball player who plans to play two sports in college. Is son of former major-league pitcher Chuck McElroy and nephew of former Astros manager Cecil Cooper.

William Moore, ATH, 6-2, 205, Madison High — Finalist for Touchdown Club of Houston 2010 Defensive Player of the Year. Selected to All-District 20-5A first team and was the 20-5A Most Valuable Player. Also All-District first team as a junior, compiling 80 tackles and eight sacks under coach Ray Seals. Played defensive line at Madison, but UH has designated him as an athlete. Will begin his college career as a safety.

Emeka Okafor, OL, 6-5, 300, Sunnyvale — First athlete from his school to earn a full scholarship. All-District 6-2A first team selection as a senior under coach Ben Wright. Sunnyvale Male Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2009. District shot put and discus champion as a junior, also played basketball. Committed to North Texas in December, UH in late January. Given two stars by Rivals and Scout, also recruited by SMU and UTEP.

DeWayne Peace, WR, 6-0, 190, Blinn College — Member of the Dallas Morning News Texas 100 coming out of South Grand Prairie in 2009 and signed with Arizona. Redshirted in as a defensive back in 2009, wasn’t in the two-deep after the ensuing spring practice and transferred to Blinn. Played at Blinn under Brad Franchione, who since has moved on to coach under father Dennis Franchione at Texas State.

DeVonte Potier, DB, 5-10, 180, Wheatley — Member of Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston second team. Class 4A All-State selection. Made All-District first team was the 22-4A Defensive Most Valuable Player. Playing under Cornelius McFarland, credited with nine interceptions, 57 tackles and 25 passes broken up as a senior. Earned three letters, leading Wheatley to district title as a senior. Had five interceptions as a junior. Also ran track.

Desmond Pulliam, LB, 6-0, 225, Louise — Selected to All-State first team by TheOldCoach.com and All-Area first team by Victoria Advocate. District Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, Offensive Co-MVP as a senior. Rushed for 1,661 yards and 20 touchdowns as a fullback under coach Mark Stevens, but recruited by UH to play defense. Rated a two-star prospect by Rivals and Scout.

Mark Roberts, WR, 6-4, 185, West Orange-Stark — District 21-3A Most Valuable Player as a senior, catching 43 passes for 936 yards and 12 touchdowns. One of the those catches was a touchdown from Reggie Garrett, who collapsed and died shortly afterward during a September game against Jasper. Super Prep All-Southwest selection playing under coach Dan Hooks. Had 671 receiving yards as a junior and also ran track. Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, chose UH over Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State.

Dominic Smith, DT, 6-3, 310, Blinn College — Signed during national junior college period in December, is expected to provide immediate help to a thin defensive line that lost starting nose tackle Matangi Tonga. Hastings High graduate helped Blinn to a top-10 ranking nationally defense, recording 20 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Also recruited by UCF, Tennessee, Kansas State and UNLV.

Daniel Spencer, RB, 6-0, 175, Grandview — Jack of all trades, had 1,394 yards rushing and 1,193 receiving as a senior under coach Aubrey Sims. Ranked 64th by Rivals among players designated as athletes. Scout.com ranks as nation’s No. 119 receiving prospect. Averaged 12.2 yards per carry (24 touchdowns) and 17.8 yards per catch (18 touchdowns). Rushed for 246 yards in a playoff game against Melissa. Led team to 32-5 record in three seasons. Played basketball, ran track and is member of National Honor Society (3.90 GPA). Rated three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout.